Win some, lose some
[ by Charles Cameron — tensions between Iran and the Saudis extend to the morality police level ]
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There’s a certain irony in the concept of “undercover” cops in a context where, as RFE/RL reports:
Tehran’s police chief Hossein Sajedinia said that the male and female agents — numbering around 7,000 — will focus on issues such as “improper veiling and removal of veils inside cars,” as well as noise pollution and reckless driving.
The tssue of “covering” has also been one of the problems with the Saudi Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice:
In 2002, 15 girls died in Mecca after the police prevented them from fleeing a burning building because they were not deemed to be appropriately covered.
Sources:
NY Times, Saudi Arabia Moves to Curb Its Feared Religious Police Radio Free Europe, Iran Launches Undercover Morality Unit
